Spectacle cases



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Oct. 15, 1957 E. ANDERSON SPECTACLE; CASES Filed Nov. 21, 1955 FIG. 6.

United States Patent SPECTACLE CASES Eddie Anderson, St. Louis, Mo.

Application November 21, 1955, Serial No. 548,096

1 Claim. (Cl. 220-'-55) This invention relates in general to containers and, more particularly, to spectacle cases.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a spectacle case having uniquely contrived, locking means rendering the case secure when closed, and being easily operated for opening to permit single hand manipulation of the case and the associated spectacles.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a spectacle case having a coacting cover and side panel member adapted, upon opening of the cover, to provide facile accessibility to the case interior for nondamaging withdrawal of the spectacles from, or insertion of the same into, said case.

It is an additional object of this invention to provide a spectacle case dimensioned for comfortable carriage in a coat or other pocket; having clip means for securing the case thereto whereby accidental displacement of the case is prevented.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a spectacle case equipped with a partition for dividing the case into compartments for the carrying of at least two pairs of spectacles so as to prevent contact therebetween.

The above and other objects are obtained by the structures illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of a spectacle case constructed in accordance with and embodying the present invention.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the case in open condition.

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 33 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially on the line 3-3 of Figure 1 showing the locking member in unlatched relation.

Figure 5 is a vertical section taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 1.

Figure 6 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 6-6 of Figure 1.

Figure 7 is a horizontal sectional view taken substantially on the line 6-6 of Figure 1, showing another form of case constructed in .accordance with and embodying the present invention.

Referring now by reference characters to the drawing, A generally designates a spectacle case having an elongated, relatively shallow body 1 comprising front and back walls 2, 3 connected by preferably rounded end walls 4, 5 and a bottom wall 6 also desirably rounded with the upper end being open. It will thus be seen that case body 1 presents no sharp edges for snagging or tearing garments in which it may be carried. Front wall 2 terminates spacedly below the upper end of case body 1 and on its upper edge there is hingedly mounted, as at 7, for swinging between closed position in planar-aligned relation with front wall 2 and open position in outwardly swung relation to said wall is a panel 8; said panel being of the same width as front wall -2 and of such height that its upper edge will be flush with that of case body 1 when "ice said panel is in closed position. It will thus be seen that 7 panel 8 is normally biased through gravity into outwardly swung position for cooperating with the open end of case body 1 for increasing the accessibility to the case interior so that the spectacles S therein may be readily grasped for removal.

Hinged to the upper edge of back wall 3, as at 9, is a cover 10 for swinging movement between case-closed condition and upwardly swung case-opened position; a spring 11 of the helical twist type is encirclingly disposed about the central portion of binge 9 with its ends bearing against the inner faces of cover 10 and back wall 3 for biasing cover 10 into case-opened position. Cover 10 is provided with a short depending skirt 12 which will extend slightly outwardly of, and below, the upper edge of case body 1 when cover 10 is in closed position, thereby obscuring the joint line between case body 1 and cover 10. With panel 8 in closed position said skirt 12 will retain same in such position, as said skirt 12 efiectively block-s any swinging of panel 8.

Mounted at its lower end, as by a rivet 13, on the inner face of each end wall 4, 5, adjacent the upper end thereof, is a fiat spring 14, which is free at its upper end for inward bending about its point of attachment, and carries substantially centrally of its length a relatively enlarged button-like actuator 15; said actuator 15 projecting through an opening 16 in the adjacent side Wall for inward movement therethrough responsive to applied pressure and return outward movement upon release of such pressure. 'Proximate its upper end, each flat spring 14 mounts a latch pin 17 for extension outwardly through an opening 18 in the adjacent end wall, upwardly of open.- ing 16, and through an aperture 19 provided in an ear 20 formed on skirt 12 of cover 10, which aperture 19 will be aligned with opening 18 when cover 10 is closed, for thereby locking said cover against accidental or premature opening.

Thus, cover 10 may be reliably maintained in closed position by latch pins 17 which are constantly urged outwardly by the related flat spring 14. Constantly through this novel locking means, spectacle case A is secured against inadvertent opening with attendant damage to, or loss of, the contained spectacles.

In order to open case A, the user may grip the same in one hand, applying pressure upon the opposite buttonlike actuators 15 by the thumb and forefinger to thereby force fiat springs 14- inwardly, effecting a withdrawal of latch pins 17 from apertures 19 of ears 20, whereupon cover 10 is freed for instantaneous upward swinging through operation of spring 11 into case-opened position. By such upward movement of cover 10, panel 8 is freed for downward and outward swinging into open position, as may best be seen in Figure 2. Thus, case A is thereby opened so that the spectacles can be readily gripped and removed therefrom. The enlarged opening provided by panel 8 obviates the necessity of up-ending the case, as is necessary with open-end cases currently being utilized, and by the use of which damage to the spectacles frequently develops since the user is unable to firmly grip same.

It is to be seen that only one hand of the user is adequate to manipulate case A and the associated spectacles S, for with the case being readily unlatched as described, and of light weight, spectacles S may be readily handled in conjunction with said case. To close case A the user, as by the thumb, will hold panel 8 in upward position and with a finger press cover 10 downwardly causing the lower edges of ears 20 to engage the rounded outer ends of latch pins 17, as by cam action, to force said latch pins inwardly; with the same returning outwardly, through spring action, upon alignment of apere tures 19 with openings 18 to lock cover 10 in closed position. If desired, latch pins 17 may be held inwardly during closure of cover 10 by pressure upon actuators 15.

Case A is dimensioned forcomfortablecarriage in a pocket of the users garments and on front wall 2-rnounts 'a clip 21 for engagement to an edge of a pocket to inhibit accidental displacement of case A therefrom.

If desired, case A may be relatively widened and internally provided with a partition 22 (see Figure 7) the edges of which are contiguous with inner faces of front and back walls 2, 3, and with said partition extending obliquely therebetween for dividing case A into two compartments 23, 24, each of which is capable of receiving a pair of spectacles s, s. V

Thus, the present spectacle case comprises uniquely coacting means for opening and closing of the case with a novel lock for securing thecase reliably in closed condition. Said case may be frabricated of any suitable material, such as metal, molded plastic, and the like, so that it can be produced economically and be durable and reliable in usage. Said case is relatively small, being suitable for pocket carriage and yet not providing an unslightly and uncomfortable bulging when .being so carried.

It should be understood that changes and modifications in the formation, construction, arrangement, and combination of the several parts of the spectacle case may be made and substituted for these herein shown and described without departing from the nature and principle of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I desire and claim to secure by Letters Patent is:

A pocket case for spectacles comprising a front wall, a back wall, a pair of end walls, and a bottom Wall, said front wall comprising a lower major portion integrated with the adjacent portions of said end walls and the bottom wall, and an upper panel-forming portion svvingably mounted upon the upper edge of said major portion, said upper portion extending between the end walls and with its upper edge aligned with the upper edge of said end walls, said panel-forming member being biased by gravity into outward and downwardly swung position, a cover member for disposition upon the upper open end of said case, said cover being hingedly engaged to the back wall on the upper edge thereof, spacedly above and parallel to the axis of swinging of said upper panel-forming portion, said cover further being provided with a short, depending skirt portion for disposition outwardly of the end walls and panel-forming portion of the front wall when in closed position, said skirt engaging same on its inner surface and contacting the outer upper portion of said panel wherebysaid panel-forming member will be maintained in upward position when the cover is in closed position, a spring member associated with said cover member and abutting at its ends against same and the back wall for biasing said cover into case-open position and latch means for maintaining said cover in closed condition comprising a flat resilient member fixed, at its lower end, on the inner face of each side wall proximate the upper edge of the respective side wall, a latch pin carried at the upper end of each resilient member for projection through aligned openings in the adjacent side wall and the cover skirt for maintaining the cover in caseclosed condition, a button-like latch actuator mounted on each resilient member downwardly from the related latch pin for extension through an opening in the ad jacent side wall for operation of pressure thereon to effect inwardly bending of the related resilient member with unlocking movement of the associated latch pin to free the cover to be moved into case-open position through spring bias and attendant opening, downward swinging of said panel.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,069,299 Sundee Aug. 5, 1913 1,709,182 McKnight et al Apr. 16, 1929 2,447,787 Atkinson Aug. 24, 1948 2,472,344 Rosenbarger June 7, 1949 2,671,601 Leavitt Mar. 9, 1954 2,689,078 Andrew Sept. 14, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS 3,240 Great Britain 1913 484,086 Great Britain Apr. 27, 1938 

